New Law Seeks To Curb Noise at BUR and VNY

A trio of California congressmen have drafted legislation they hope will allow Bob Hope Burbank Airport and Van Nuys Airport to adopt operations curfews. The Valley-Wide Noise Relief Act seeks to exempt the two airports from the 1990 Airport Noise and Capacity Act (ANCA), which has prevented them from adopting comprehensive nighttime bans. The FAA has opposed the implementation of curfews at the two airports, citing a possible increase in airspace congestion and system-wide delays.

The new legislation would apply only to airports that had at least a partial curfew in effect before ANCA was enacted. “While partial curfews have been imposed, the FAA has long stood in the way of achieving real relief,” said Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.). “Our legislation will finally put an end to these bureaucratic roadblocks and deliver much deserved peace and quiet for area residents.” The new act would allow the two airports to adopt non-discriminatory curfews between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

According to the legislators, imposing a curfew at both airports will ensure that air traffic is not simply shifted from one to the other and, they noted, since Van Nuys is part of a larger airport consortium, including LAX, that is able and willing to accept more nighttime traffic, the curfews would not negatively affect local and national airspace.